One Slain, 6 Wounded in Restaurant Shooting

San Diego homicide detectives are attempting to determine what triggered a late-night shooting spree in a Chinese restaurant that left one man dead and six others wounded.

The shooting occurred at about midnight Saturday at the Imperial Palace restaurant at 4805 Convoy St. in Clairemont.

Police described all of the victims as being of Vietnamese extraction, although their immigration status in the United States was unclear. There was no evidence that the shooting was related to gang activity in the Vietnamese-American community, police said.

The investigation was slowed by conflicting statements and the need to use a Vietnamese interpreter, said Bill Robinson, a spokesman for the police department. All witnesses were being interviewed, Robinson said.

All six of those wounded were treated Sunday at various San Diego hospitals and released.

The dead man was identified as Song Lien Duong, 20, of Linda Vista. He was struck in the head and declared dead at the scene, authorities said. It was not immediately known if he was an innocent bystander or a participant in the argument that is believed to have led to the shooting.

One of the six wounded was detained for questioning and later released, police said. Robinson would not call him a suspect, adding that no one has been arrested and charged with the crime.

The incident began when a man walked into the restaurant carrying a rifle, apparently sparking an argument among patrons, police said. Subsequently, authorities said, a number of shots were fired, resulting in the death of Duong and the wounding of the others, all restaurant patrons, police said.

Police could not say if more than one gun was fired during the shooting. A .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle--identified as the one carried into the restaurant--was recovered during the investigation, Robinson said.